For Crossrail, read Elizabeth line

London’s new Crossrail railway will be named the Elizabeth line, in honour of Her Majesty the Queen who visited the Bond Street station construction site earlier today.

Announcing the name change, Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “Crossrail is already proving a huge success for the UK economy and, as we move closer to bringing this transformative new railway into service, I think it’s truly wonderful that such a significant line for our capital will carry such a significant name from our country.

“As well as radically improving travel right across our city, the Elizabeth line will provide a lasting tribute to our longest-serving monarch.”

During her visit, the Queen was presented with a commemorative Elizabeth roundel in honour of the name change. She also met some of the engineers and apprentices involved in the construction of the new line, as well train drivers who will run the new services.

Speaking on behalf of his workforce, Crossrail chairman Terry Morgan said: “Construction for the new railway is now over 70 per cent complete and is being delivered on time and within budget. The Crossrail project is one of the most ambitious and complex infrastructure programmes ever undertaken in the UK, the scale of engineering being delivered under the capital is quite incredible.

“The opening of the Elizabeth line in 2018 will be a significant moment for London.”

17 COMMENTS

I think it was a good suggestion from the Queen to have her name “Elizabeth” to be honoured with Crossrail 1 to be named as Elizabeth Line before it opens in late 2018. The Queen was very happy to have her name mentioned when the new line opens December 2018 which is 3 years from now.

Pretty cheesy and stupid if you ask me.
It might be different if she was a supporter of public transport but I somehow doubt any of the royals are.

In my opinion it would be best to either keep with the tradition of naming lines after major stations/termini served or geographic location.
If failing that; take a leaf out of continental systems and give it an identifying number of letter, seeing as Thameslink will also eventually be a heavy metro and under TfL control…

You see that? Once the Govia franchise runs its course; Thameslink will come under TfL control. And yes actually; Thameslink is well advanced through the course of an upgrade to heavy metro standards offering frequent services just like Crossrail will offer.

The Royals might use PT on the odd novelty occasion. Got any evidence that any are frequent users? Even Princess Zara, Princess Eugenie or Prince Edward?

Sorry, but you’re not the one not quite in the loop: it’s just a proposal at the moment (so “may” rather than “will”), and the proposal does not include any of the longer-distance Thameslink services (which is a proper main-line railway under Network Rail control, not a heavy metro).

As for your earlier comment about the “tradition” of naming lines after termini or geographic location, how do the District, Jubilee, Metropolitan, Central lines fit in with that – or even Thameslink or Crossrail?

Nope. Thameslink services are being upgraded to heavy metro standard and they’re going to be transferred to TfL control. This will put two heavy metro lines under TfL control.

The District, Metropolitan and Central lines retain their original names from when they were private (and competing) railways. The Jubilee line was originally the Fleet line, in reference to the fleet river and fleet street. It was changed (with its colour made more silver) only to commemorate the 25th (silver) Jubilee in 1977.

You’re still getting mixed up. Only the Moorgate routes are going to TfL control. I certainly don’t want my Peterborough, Cambridge, Bedford trains under the same London-centric metro regime. The 700s are enough of a downgrade as it is.

I said: Thameslink is being upgraded to a heavy metro standard, which is not me saying that it currently is a metro. Metro-frequencies, Metro-standard transits, isolated corridor but to mainline loading gauges means a heavy metro. Like the paris RER.

If you want to be up to date, why don’t you just read the current link that I posted rather than going back into history?

And Thameslink is *not* an isolated corridor. Except on the short central section, it shares tracks with mainline trains of all varieties (including freights), something no metro (including the RER) does; neither will it have metro-like frequencies, again except on the central section.